Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Q&A - VIEWPOINT - Trends in higher education





Vijay D Patil (pic), president, DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai, shares his views on the higher education sector in the country Corporates can step in by providing financial aid. This support can be in the form of research grants to deserving students or through the development of centres of excellence to help ease the cost of infrastructure for institutes

What role can higher education play in realising the youth's potential?
Higher education plays a crucial role in realising the potential of a country's youth while laying the foundation for its success.Today, when every sector, right from agriculture to IT, requires a tremendous amount of tremendous amount of trained personnel, it is not enough to have a basic knowledge of a subject to succeed.
You need to have an in-depth knowledge of your field along with the right skill-set to make your mark in the industry. And this can be achieved only with the help of higher education.
What is the key challenge that the higher education sector in the country is facing?
A key concern is the lack of access to higher education that students face regardless of their financial and geographical backgrounds. Another chal lenge is the quality of education provided by our institutes.
Corporates can step in by providing financial aid. This support can be in the form of research grants to deserving students or through the development of centres of excellence to help ease the cost of infrastructure for institutes. In fact, this can be advantageous for can be advantageous for corporates as well, as it would lead to better research facilities and deserving students would not shy away from higher education due to high fees.
This would further facilitate better quality workforce for employers. What are your expectations from the new government?
Higher education is the sunrise sector. The government should speak with all the stakeholders to understand their needs and roadblocks. The key among them being the tedious ap proval process for launching new courses.
This process needs to be streamlined under a single au thority for things to move swiftly and efficiently instead of multiple approvals, which we require now.
What are the key trends in higher education?
With the introduction of new technologies, education now focuses on teaching through interactivity between students f and faculty, making learning a continuous exercise. Specialised courses will gain momentum and will help students pre determine their area of interest and choose relevant subjects to gain expertise.
Another trend is a high degree of specialisation. With the introduction of niche courses, this trend will gain further momentum in times to come.

Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

THE FIRST STEP TO YOUR FUTURE

Malini Sen

TNN





UK varsity launches professional development hub to improve students' employability

Recognising that a creative approach is required to improve employability of graduates, especially due to unpredictable economic trends, Leeds University Business School (LUBS) launched a Professional Development Hub.“Whilst the hub supports all LUBS students, postgraduate students benefit from five professional development tutors embedded in different programmes guiding them in their job search and honing their soft skills,“ says Elizabeth Bailey, professional development tutor on the MSc in international business programme and the head of the hub.
“It is different from academic earning. It is more experiential, we divide students in groups and observe how they perform under pressure, relate to others from different cultures and work as a team. We make them apply what they learn on he programme to a workplace situa ion in an international context,“ adds Bailey.
According to her, the key soft skills include communication, presentation, self awareness, emotional ntelligence, academic writing, teamwork, etc. Besides an academic degree, she says, these skills are important to make graduates more em ployable in the 21st century. Though over a year old, the hub is continuously evolving, adds Bailey.
Additionally, all University of Leeds students have access to the Careers Centre, which works closely with local, national and international employers. Leeds is currently the 8th most targeted university for the UK's top employers (High Fliers 2014).
Priyankaa Ankalgi, a student at the university, says: “We are international students and our knowledge about the job market in the UK is limited. The Careers Centre sends us information on vacancies and company details, and helps us with our CV and cover letter.“ Ankalgi has found a job in Leeds as an R&D combustion and controls engineer with JBC Industrial Service Ltd and will be involved in field research.
Laura Trotter, career consultant at the university, says the centre works closely with tutors from all disci plines to familiarise students with the recruitment process, industrial practices, graduate schemes and internships. Besides, undergraduates are encouraged to choose a 12month industrial placement as part of their programme.
“The Leeds approach to employability is based on our commitment to helping all students to decide on their future career, plan to acquire the right experience and skills, and compete in graduate employment markets globally,“ she adds.
The centre has also been using social media platforms in job search and career development. “We help students with their online profiles and teach them how to use social media to interact with potential employers. We also reach out through blogs, podcasts, etc. However, we sensitise students about the pitfalls and how they should use the platforms positively,“ says Trotter.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk

Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

India to set up digital library in Bhutan

New Delhi TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday emphasized on the possibilities of greater educational contacts with Bhutan and suggested doubling the scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India.India will now provide scholarships worth Rs 2 crore.
Modi said India will also assist Bhutan in setting up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals. Modi said educational links were important for strengthening people-topeople contacts. He also inaugurated the Supreme Court building which has been built with Indian assistance. On Monday, he will address a joint session of Bhutan parliament.
Modi described Bhutan as a natural choice for his first visit abroad as the two countries shared a “special relationship”. “Our hydropower cooperation with Bhutan is a classic example of win-win cooperation and a model for the entire region. During the visit, we will lay the founda
tion stone of the 600MW Kholongchu hydropower project,“ he said. “I will review with the Bhutanese leadership our development cooperation programme to make it even more effective and responsive to the changing aspirations of the people of Bhutan.“In a banquet held in his honour, Modi said India and Bhutan had a “made-for-each other relationship”. He said while the world talks of GDP, Bhutan talks of national happiness, adding there could be many parameters to measure happiness, but he wished to suggest a new one — how is your neighbour? Among the parameters on which Bhutan measures happiness, having a good friend like India should be one of them, Modi said.

Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Finmin seeks UGC reply on financial `mismanagement'

Akshaya Mukul

New Delhi: TNN





The matter was taken up at a meeting of the commission on Friday.
Several members alleged lack of transparency on financial issues

The finance ministry has sought status of action taken by the University Grants Commission on the director general of audit (central expenditure) report that pointed out financial mismanagement and lack of transparent financial administrative system.On Friday, the matter was taken up in the meeting of the full commission. Several members alleged lack of transparency on financial issues. A few members alleged that news of grave financial importance was received from outside and never came to them in a routine manner. They also highlighted the controversy related to the chairperson’s retirement age and
fixation of pension. UGC said while it had responded to 14 paras of the audit report, more than 130 were still pending.“Even representatives of finance and HRD ministries said there was a need for greater financial discipline in UGC,” a member said, adding that finance ministry has decided to be more proactive on financial matters of UGC even if HRD ministry is not.
The full commission also dis
cussed a case of financial impropriety that has not been resolved for more than two years. The case pertains to one Baldeo PG College in Baragaon, Uttar Pradesh that received a cheque of Rs 40 lakh for construction of women’s hostel.The college had never sought that fund, so returned the cheque. In UGC, inquiries were made and till date both the voucher and the sanction letter for the amount has not been discovered.
Finally, an FIR was filed by UGC and some of its officials are in jail.
Police has not yet filed the chargesheet. In the meet, UGC said it has set up an enquiry committee within the organization to probe the matter.
set up an enquiry committee within the organization to probe the matter.





Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

‘Nearly 60% rural houses don’t have toilets’

Mahendra Kumar Singh

New Delhi: TNN





The rape and murder of two teenaged girls in Uttar Pradesh has put the focus back on lack of access to private toilets in villages, forcing women and girls to go out to defecate in the open which makes them vulnerable to sexual violence.Lack of toilets is also a problem in slums in cities and towns, but the dangers are greater in rural areas because women and girls must go out into the fields to relieve themselves.
It is no secret that India has the world’s largest population that defecates in the open, but the incident exposed the poor sanitation fa
cilities in rural India which makes women vulnerable to such extreme violence. The Narendra Modi administration has a tough task ahead as according to National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data, 59.4% of rural India defecates in the open. Jharkhand and Odisha are the worst performers with 90.5% and 81.3% of their population without toilets respectively.The 2011 Census painted a much bleaker state of basic amenities in rural India than the NSSO survey as according to it, 69.3% of rural households and 18.6% households in cities and towns do not have toilets.
The ruling BJP has promised in its manifesto to help people build toilets in homes, at schools and in public places to end open defecation. During his election campaign, Modi had said if elected, he’d build
“toilets first, temples later”.The Modi’s dispensation has to come out with some “out-of-the-box” solution as India has been struggling to achieve universal sanitation coverage.
The government had launched the Central Rural Sanitation Programme, a supply-driven scheme with subsidy, in 1986. But the scheme was re-launched in 1999 as demand-driven Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). In 2012, it was reworked as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) with focus on community-led, demanddriven approach.
The schemes, however, failed to ensure access to private toilets for majority of Indians living in villages.

Jun 13 2014 : Mirror (Pune)

TRAPPED IN THE DEEP

Vijay.Chavan @timesgroup.com TWEET @ThePuneMirror





NCSC sounds an alarm on the use of manual scavengers, which is a clear violation of 2013 Act; asks PCMC to pull up erring health officers

Eight months have gone by since the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 came into being, but civic bodies are unable to shed their primitive inhuman practise of manually cleaning night soil clogging drains and septic tanks. This continued callous atti tude has finally pushed the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) to issue a notice to Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) seeking action against its health inspectors and a report on its latest deployment of manual scavengers, that provoked a formal complaint from Safai Karmachari Takrar Nivaran Samiti.This notice came after several complaints, including a censuring exactly a year ago, when a man was sent swimming through sewage to remove the blocks that had caused flooding of a road at Nehrunagar.
At the time PCMC had responded with an apology letter with an assurance that such acts would not be repeated. While the warning then had no legal binding, the new law enacted in September last has now put PCMC on the wrong side of law, when it sent another set of men into a brimming and clogged manhole at Dapodi earlier this week, without any protective gear. “As per Section 7 of the Act, we want punitive measures to be taken against the concerned health inspectors and the department head, on the lines of disciplinary actions as stipulated in the corporation’s rule book,” Anuradha Ghodkhane, assistant director of NCSC, stated in the notice. She also pointed out that the continued incidence of using manual labour to clean sewage lines and septic tanks is very disturbing.
“It is a case of gross negligence to not even provide the gear stipulated in the Act against manual scavenging. Punitive action is imperative given that PCMC is a habitual violator of the law,” noted Sagar Charan, advocate and member of Safai Karmachari Takrar Nivaran Samiti. He is the one who
registered the complaint with NCSC about the Dapodi incident on Tuesday. He pointed out that not only is the practice inhuman, it raises serious health concerns.Desperate to downplay their indiscretion, Assistant Commissioner heading PCMC’s health department, Dnyaneshwar Dhere, claimed, “It is true that manual labour has been used to remove ‘mud’ from manholes on some occasions, but they were deployed by contractors.” Interestingly, in the hope of shedding all onus, he rushed to add, “Manual scavenging work of the civic body is entirely contracted out. We will initiate action against such contractors if found guilty.
The Dapodi case will be probed.” Unfortunately, PCMC is not alone in these transgressions.
“Even Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) employees are asked to do such work manually,
to cut costs involved in deploying machinery,” said a member of Mehatar-Walmiki —a labour union attached to PMC’s health department. He added, “Besides its direct involvement in a few of the assignments, the civic body, given its depleting work-force, largely outsources the work and contractors are ruthless when it comes to cutting corners.” “We use manual scavenging only in shallow spaces. Many a time, the square-shaped manholes render machines unviable. PMC has 10 SPT (specialised plumbing technology) machines to drain out such blockages. Except for slum areas, we essentially use machines as made mandatory by law,” said Suresh Jagtap, assistant commissioner Solid Waste department of PMC.Sadly, the scavengers whose interests are sought to be protected by the Act, are the last people to
assert themselves, inured by their job profile and more petrified of losing their employment. “We have no option but to enter these manholes to clean the sewage lines that get blocked by plastics and other solid waste. The contractors believe better work is done when human hands are involved. If they turned to machines, we would have no jobs, so how can we protest?” explained Ram Walmiki (name changed), who works with the health and sanitation department of PCMC.“We are constantly petrified when machines will snatch away our jobs. Our people who work on contracts are willing to work at marginal rates to remain cost effective options for the contractors. We drink to escape the filth of our jobs and many of us have turned alcoholics,” said another employee of PMC, who did not wish to be identified.

Jun 13 2014 : Mirror (Pune)

Making drinking water safe

MUDAR PATHERYA





How Eureka Forbes brought about a change with their Community Fulfilment Initiatives, formed to provide responsible drinking water solutions for rural Indians ALAPSED SPORTS WRITER WHO'S FOUND FAITH IN INDIA'S CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY Liked/hated his column! write to Mudar Patherya at mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com punemirror.feedback@gmail.com

Honestly, when was the last time you ventured into the back of beyond with out mineral water? The usual fears we face: drinking water will be infested with bacteria or organic chemical traces inherited from pesticides and effluents.You and I are not alone. There are 96 million Indians (more than the size of a number of countries) without access to safe water. Over 186,000 children die annually from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation, about 70 million Indians in 20 states and 600 districts are at risk from excess fluoride and around 10 million Indians are at risk from excess arsenic in our ground water. The numbers are so large that we have stopped worrying. The one company that resolved to be the difference was Eureka Forbes.
Partly because the subject of clean water was its business. Partly because it cared.
Over the years, Eureka Forbes started a division called `Community Fulfillment Initiatives' with the objective to provide `responsible drinking water solutions' and encouraging `water entrepreneurship' for rural Indians. The core idea was an old one -provide clean drinking water to those who don't get it. The twist was the entrepreneurial bit; the company created a local entrepreneurial interest so that the providers were from the same community of beneficiaries.
This is how: Eureka Forbes encouraged rural communities to buy a 500 LPH/RO/Automated with an automated dispensing unit plant for Rs 6 lakh with the objective of starting a commercial service vending purified drinking water to villagers with a payback of around four years. This is how the system worked: Eureka Forbes' water scientists and field experts tested water conditions before setting up a water purification plant (Eureka Forbes has developed seven technologies around 17 different Indian water conditions).
The plant provides water 24x7 without depending on the whims of the operator.
What Eureka Forbes provided was a unique automated dispensing unit that worked around a pre-paid card. Against a periodic top-up, neigh bourhood residents could go to the machine and access clean drinking water. Soon the word spread that at this unique `water shop', it was as easy to access water as withdrawing money from an ATM machine -no water spluttering to a stop, no water changing colour, no water tasting different. All they need to do is use a unique Water Card, its use tracked remotely by Eureka Forbes.
Whereas most companies in Eureka Forbes' place would have made one-time local investments to provide free drinking water and leave it to others to take the game ahead, the company did the reverse. It created a scalable model that was fair to its commercial interests, the community's consumption interest and the government's social interest.
Whereas most agencies would have said `How can we put a price on something as fundamental as water?', Eureka Forbes created a dispensing shop, pricing water at 10-50 paise per litre, justified around the idea that rural families with an average monthly income of Rs 4,000 spend Rs 200 on medicines anyway to treat diseases caused by impure drinking water. Suddenly, preventive treatment acquired a new ally.
Whereas most agencies would have said `We have given you reasonably safe water and that should be good enough,' Eureka Forbes benchmarked its delivery in line with the demanding WHO standards; it plugged loops related to money and water leakages by plant operators and water mafias operating in India's rural areas.
Whereas most companies would have provided infrastructure and left, Eureka Forbes focused on creating cross-sector partnership between gram panchayats, state governments, NGOs and local communities to promote a collaborative entrepreneurship model, providing villagers with the opportunity to run the plants, sell water and generate a business while working closely with city-based water distributors and the government (State and Central).
The result is that Eureka Forbes now has water shops across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Some of the results are amazing. In Manikyapuram (Andhra Pradesh), the community water plants have helped moderate the long-standing incidence of anaemia, weak teeth, sore joints and birth defects in children who for years had been exposed to water with high total dissolved solids including fluoride. In the slum communities of Agra, this model has empowered a women's slum group to start a water-based business enterprise. In Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) the water shops have helped counter life-endangering fluorosis (derived from groundwater fluoride) that led to bone deformities in children, labourers, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Why this is model is fascinating is because it has addressed a basic human need, linked that need to income generation, created entrepreneurs, addressed customers from within the community and generated hidden savings (lower health care costs). This then could be a model waiting to attract financiers for onward replication across the country.